The present invention relates to a medicinal composition for treating dysmenorrhea and endometriosis, and more particularly to a medicinal composition comprising as its effective component a plant extract containing proanthocyanidins.
Dysmenorrhea is characterized by spasmodic symptoms, such as severe lower abdominal pain, lumbago, headache and nausea, which develop at the onset of and during menstruation and which are not attributable to other gynecological diseases (adnexitis, endometriosis, uterine myoma, adenomyosis of the uterus, etc.). The causes include increased presence of prostaglandins in the menstrual fluid and an abrupt increase in the intrauterine pressure caused by the menstrual fluid held in the uterus due to the constriction of os uteri. Dysmenorrhea is treated by oral administration of Voltaren (generic name: dichlofenac sodium) or Sedes (generic name: pyrazolone analgesic, antiinflammatory and antipyretic composition). However, this treatment may temporality alleviate the symptoms but is generally ineffective.
Endometriosis is a disease of ectopic occurrence, growth of endometrium (in the ovary, oviduct and Douglas"" cul-de- sac) and the disease causing inflammation at the site and developing severe menstrual pain and lower abdominal pain at times other than the menstrual period. It is also one of the causes of sterility. Although still remaining to be clarified, a causal relation to dioxin has attracted attention in recent years. The disease is most prevalent in the reproductive ages (between ages of about 18 to about 42). Because of its dependence on follicular hormones (estrogens), the disease becomes gradually aggravated in menstruating women and conversely becomes alleviated and disappears postmenopausally with reduced production of estrogens.
The Gn-RH therapy is most prevalently used which suppresses the secretion of estrogens from the ovary to diminish the lesion. Also used for other treatment is danazol which is a derivative of an androgen (testosterone) for inhibiting the estrogenic activity of the lesion. These therapies nevertheless frequently involve side effects including the symptoms of ovarian deficiency such as hot flushes and systemic malaise, osteoporosis, edema and obesity, and are not fully useful because even with women up to 40 in age, at least 80% of them have a recurrence of endometriosis 3 to 6 months after the completion of the treatment.
Besides those mentioned above, especially effective medicinals are not known for treating dysmenorrhea and endometriosis and improving the symptoms thereof, and it has long been desired to provide such medicinals.
We have unexpectedly found that plant extracts containing proanthocyanidins exhibit unprecedented remarkable ameliorating or therapeutic effects on patients with dysmenorrhea and endometriosis. Based on this finding, the present invention provides a medicinal composition comprising as its effective component a plant extract containing proanthocyanidins for treating dysmenorrhea and endometriosis.
According to the present invention, French maritime pine bark extracts are especially effective for treating dysmenorrhea and endometriosis. The invention provides a medicinal composition comprising a French maritime pine bark extract, in the form of soft capsules, tablets, or a liquid or powdery preparation for oral administration. However, the medicinal composition for treating dysmenorrhea and endometriosis of the present invention is not restricted to the French maritime pine bark extract but covers all of plant extracts containing proanthocyanidins, for example, a conifer extract and a grape seed extract.